Tag: cinnamon

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Spiced Cranberry Margarita

The Story

Most cocktail drinkers enjoy a Margarita from time to time. This classic cocktail is a mixture of tequila, triple sec, and lime. One of the great “three ingredient cocktails” out there. We recommend Reposado Tequila versus Blanco in the majority of use cases. Also, you can ramp up your triple sec game with Cointreau (and branded triple sec). This recipe swaps out triple sec for Grand Marnier. If you take the plunge on the bottle, don’t worry, there are many ways to enjoy Grand Marnier, including drinking it on the rocks or even straight up in a chilled glass!

We hope you enjoy this Margarita riff that adds Cranberry Juice (unsweetened, as we add the sugar in the recipe), and a fun optional garnish that is well worth the effort!

Cheers!!

The Recipe

2 oz Reposado Tequila

½ oz Grand Marnier

1 oz Unsweetened Cranberry Juice

½ oz Lime Juice

½ oz Cinnamon Syrup

The Build

Add all ingredients to a Cocktail Shaker

Add ice and shake 10-15 seconds until chilled

Pour cocktail over ice into a lowball glass

Garnish: Cinnamon Stick/Orange slice

Alternate Garnish: BOOZY CRANBERRIES!!

Heat ½ cup water, ½ cup sugar and 1 or 2 cinnamon sticks in a saucepan. Heat until sugar is dissolved. Add fresh cranberries to cover the water in one layer. Heat until most of the cranberries have popped to pop. Let cool. Strain the syrup into a container and use in building the cocktail. Transfer cranberries to a container and add 2 oz Tequila and let sit overnight in the refrigerator. Top your margarita with a spoonful of cranberries.

Source: google search for margarita riffs (original content lost…)

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Vanilla Chai Old Fashioned

The Story

Published on the site originally, October 30, 2023; updated for 2024.

The Old Fashioned is my primary go-to. It’s easy and it’s quick. This version will take a bit more time, but the pay off is worth it; trust me.

You’ll need to make chai simple syrup in order to mix this drink, but it’s an easy process of combining chai tea bags, maple, and vanilla. Don’t stress about it. Just give yourself a few hours to allow the syrup to cool before mixing into your cocktail. If you like chai tea or a maple old fashioned (sinatra style) you are going to love this one!

UPDATE!! We adjusted the recipe over the first season and are now including the “Runaway Version” at the bottom of the page. So, be sure to check it out!!

Cheers!

The Recipe

Chai Simple Syrup

4 chai tea bags

⅓ cup real maple syrup (don’t skimp here)

1 tsp vanilla extract

In medium pot bring 1 cup water to a boil; remove from heat. Add chai tea bags, cover and steep for 15 minutes. Remove tea bags and add maple syrup. Bring back to a boil over high heat; boil 3-5 minutes; remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract and set aside to cool. Keep in fridge for up to two weeks.

Chai Old Fashioned Cocktail

2 oz bourbon (Four Roses is nice)

1 oz chai tea simple syrup

1 dash orange bitters (fee bros is nice)

Garnish with Cinnamon Stick and Star Anise (optional but highly recommended for aroma)

The Original Build

The Build

Add all ingredients to a Mixing Glass and add ice

Stir for 30 seconds

Add large ice cube to a low ball

Strain cocktail into low ball glass and garnish with cinnamon stick and star anise

Source: Runaway Anchor Version of the Original Cocktail

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Smoked Manhattan w/ Cinnamon

The Story

The Manhattan is becoming a standard at the Runaway Anchor these days. The combo of a nice spicy Rye whiskey with vermouth is great, and a good alternative if you default to the Old Fashioned all the time. If the vermouth part freaks you out, consider this cocktail.

All the standard elements are present, but with two enhancements. First a spoonful of cherry syrup. This is the “soup” your Luxardo cherries are swimming around in. Just grab a barspoon of the sauce and add that to your mixture. The other element is the cinnamon. You don’t dump cinnamon syrup in the mix though. Instead, you add a smoked cinnamon by burning a cinnamon stick and smoking the glass with it. Pay close attention to the build to get it just right. We hope you enjoy this twist on the Manhattan! Cheers!

The Recipe

1 cinnamon stick

2 oz Rye Whiskey (or Bourbon if you don’t want the spicy kick)

¾ oz Sweet Vermouth

1 tsp Maraschino Cherry Syrup

3 dashes of Orange Bitters

Garnish: Maraschino Cherries (Luxardo is great!)

The Build

Light the Cinnamon Stick and place on a heat-proof surface, quick placing the coupe glass over the stick to trap in the smoke (this takes some practice!)

In a mixing glass, add bourbon, sweet vermouth, bitters and cherry syrup

Add ice and stir for 30 seconds (give that glass time to get really smoky!)

Turn over the coupe glass and strain the cockail into it

Garnish with a couple maraschino cherries and that burnt cinnamon stick

Source: A Grateful Meal Recipe